


When snow melts, what does it become?

by moeblobmegane



Series: ∞ Days with NagiRin [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic, M/M, Swearing, nagirinweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-11 00:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4413794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the coldest day of Matsuoka Rin's life, he meets Nagisa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When snow melts, what does it become?

**Author's Note:**

> **NagiRinWeek Day 3** prompt fill for Winter/Spring!  
>  This is _very_ loosely based on the first few scenes in a drama called Kekkon Shinai. I say very loosely because the characters aren't similar at all, thus they reacted differently to the same situation.
> 
> I just posted this at [my blog](http://moeblobmegane.tumblr.com/post/124920378063/day-3-winter-spring).

_“When snow melts, what does it become?”_

_“Water?”_

_“Nope~”_

**\- - -**

It was the coldest winter of Rin Matsuoka’s life, both literally and figuratively. The weatherman predicted a temperature drop to 1 degree Celsius, and snow was pouring heavily all throughout Tokyo. The road was slippery with snow and ice. Everyone wore their thickest sweater and went home early to the safety and warmth of their homes.

Rin was in the middle of a park, wearing a measly vest and drinking cold beer.

Because his thickest sweater was  _at home_. And he didn’t want to go home yet, not right now when he felt like shit, not when he’s going home alone. Because his boyfriend, who was living with him, somehow packed up his bags and said he’s breaking up with Rin  _in a text_. And then, his boss, asshole that he is, tried to kiss Rin, which made him  _punch_ his boss. So long story short, he was fired. Today.

Thrown out by both his job and his lover, out in the cold, in the coldest day of the year.

“Fuck this, seriously,” he muttered, taking the plastic of snacks he bought from the convenience store and upending it at his side. The only thing left was a garigari-kun.  _Right_. Ice popsicle.  _Perfect_.

In a feat of anger and frustration (at himself, at the world, at every asshole in his life), he picked up the snack and flung it to the other side of the park, towards the pool of water in the middle.

Unfortunately, because  _his life sucks_ , the movement also sent his precious bracelet (the one his sister gave him before he went to Tokyo), towards the water.

“Shit- fuck-” Rin was about to rush forward when a blur of blonde hair passed at his side, jumping towards the pool.

The man’s pants were soaked, and the weather was cold enough that Rin was sure it was freezing in there. “Where did it fall?,” the guy shouted, glancing at Rin with a wide, unaffected grin. He was in freezing water and _he didn’t care_. “Come on, let’s search for it!”

Rin stared for another second, before rushing in as well. “At your left!,” he answered. His day can’t get any crappier than this, anyway.

It didn’t take long for Rin to realize that being  _wet and freezing_  was, in fact, a worse thing to be, than just feeling like your world was destroyed while you’re dry and safe sitting on the park bench. He might actually die from exposure here. Because of the stupid garigari-kun.

“I found it!”

The blonde-haired man, who was shorter than Rin and looked much frailer and in danger of dying from exposure, held his hand up triumphantly.  _He was holding the garigari-kun_.

What the fuck?!

“You were-” Rin felt the braided thread of his bracelet under the water, and pulled it out with a sigh of relief. Gou would kill him if he lost it. Then again, she won’t have anyone to kill if he dies here right now. “You were searching for the  _garigari-kun_?!”

The stranger just looked at him with a confused expression. “What else would you be searching for?”

“It’s  _freezing,_ ” Rin said, shuddering as he walked towards the edge of the pool.

“But it’s still food and you shouldn’t just throw snacks, you know?” He smiled, following after Rin. “Does this mean you don’t need this? Because I’m starving and I’d love a-”

The moment they stepped towards the edge, lights opened and a chime rang. And  _that’s_  when Rin realized that this pool?  _Wasn’t_  a pool. He remembered passing through here. It was a beautiful, elegant fountain that opened every few hours.

A fountain that sprouted water from everywhere.

Fuck his life.

“WAH!” The guy sounded surprised but strangely happy of the water now attacking them from all sides. He was  _giggling_. “Wooh!” He raised both hands up and ran  _around_ the fountain, instead of away. “It’s so cold!”

Rin knew he should probably go and run away, and dry himself up in the relative safety and warmth of his empty apartment. He  _knew_ that, but this guy helped him. Okay, well, technically he didn’t really? But still. Sometimes a little kindness when you’re down looks like a big thing. That’s the reasoning he’d go with for running after the guy and stopping him with a hand on his arm.

“Hey, you can’t just do that. You’d get sick,” he said, with the tone he often used for Haruka or Gou when they were doing something ridiculous. He’s an expert at this.

The man grinned at him and then crouched down to  _splash water at his face_.

Seriously, what the fuck.

And since that apparently wasn’t the  _worst_ the world could offer, the next moment, there was the distinct sound of a whistle. Oh, Rin knew that sound.

“Oh no,” Rin muttered, grabbing the guy’s arm and pulling him to the other side of the fountain. “Let’s run. The police is here.”

His eyes widened and he nodded. “I don’t wanna spend the night in jail again,” he said, scrunching up his nose like a child. God, he’s probably one of those troublemakers who set off fireworks in the middle of the night and then runs away from the police.

“Rin?”

 _Too late_. Rin stepped to the side, finally getting away from the spray of the fountain. “Uh,” he offered a sheepish and innocent smile, waving a hand. “Sousuke! Hi!”

Sousuke stared at him for a few seconds, then glanced at the blonde guy who was projecting the vibes of a small, playful animal who didn’t want to get in trouble. Rin was glad he wasn’t a police officer, because he’d feel bad about arresting this guy. “Rin, Nagisa,” he greeted, nodding his head at both. “Do I want to know why you’re here?” He held out a hand when Nagisa opened his mouth. “I’m kidding. I don’t want to know. Not from you.”

Nagisa puffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms like a petulant child. How old is this kid?

“Rin?,” Sousuke prompted with a raised brow.

“I dropped something and, uh, Nagisa was helping me find it here.” He raised the bracelet. “Gou made it for me so it’s important, you know? And I really miss her and it just-” He looked down, sniffed a bit. He wasn’t really acting. It was cold and he missed his sister. Just probably not as dramatically as he was showing right now. He really didn’t want to go to the police outpost today. “I didn’t want to lose this.”

Nagisa nodded repeatedly. “Rin-chan was  _crying_ about it so I helped.”

Rin threw him a glance and tried hard not to glare.

It kinda hurt how Sousuke just seemed to accept that Rin was crying in the middle of the park because of a bracelet. “Always been a crybaby, that you are,” he said under his breath. Which was rude, really. Rin didn’t cry all the time! He was just… sensitive to emotional moments. That isn’t being a crybaby! “You both look cold. Want a ride to your houses?”

Rin nodded immediately. His house was just a walk away but he’d die for some heated seats right now. He couldn’t imagine trudging to his apartment like this.

Nagisa was slower to react, but when he did, Rin was once again compelled to glare. He grabbed Rin’s arm, hugged it and exclaimed, “Let me off at Rin-chan’s place! I live too far away and I  _really_ need to change.”

“What-”

“You do live a train ride away, right?,” Sousuke asked, nodding to himself. “Okay.”

“Hey-”

Nagisa tightened his hold on Rin’s arm. “Just let me borrow clothes,” he whispered. “Please?” He looked up with wide, begging eyes.

 _Damn_.

**\- - -**

The car ride was… weird. Nagisa sat pressed against Rin’s side on the backseat and looked around in excitement. “I’ve never been sent home by a police car. This is  _so cool_.”

“But you’ve ridden lots of police cars,” Sousuke noted, chuckling.

“Are you some kind of delinquent high schooler?,” Rin asked quietly in confusion.

Nagisa giggled. “Nope~ I’m 21! I’m a salesperson. I sell tour packages to people.”

Rin frowned, even more confused. “So…?”

“But I also like to have fun.” He shrugged. “Sou-chan just keeps telling me not to mess around.” He pouted then, speaking louder as he said, “Sou-chan is  _no fun_.”

“I’m doing my job,” Sousuke said, fondness clear in his tone. How many times do you have to get caught to make policemen actually fond of you? “No other person randomly lays a huge scrap of bubble wrap in the middle of the sidewalk and start tap dancing to the tune of  _Doraemon_.”

“It’s the song, isn’t it?” Nagisa hummed, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. “I should have chosen a newer one.”

Sousuke just laughed at that.

Rin was actually amazed at the sheer gall of this person. Clearly, this is the kind of person who would jump into nearly-freezing water just to get an  _ice popsicle_. Ridiculous, but also fun. Rin did not want to be anywhere near this person. His life right now was chaotic enough without some kind of daredevil barging into it.

 

His thinking  _that_  was probably the reason why the moment he let Nagisa in to his apartment, Nagisa stopped in front of him and said, “Listen, Rin-chan, can I stay here tonight? My parents are threatening to kick me out.”

Rin stared at him. He jinxed himself, didn’t he? The divine forces probably heard his plea and went  _oh you don’t like this guy? Then you get to keep him_  or something. Should have known not to wish anything today, seeing as everything just went down the drain today.

“No, actually, can I just stay here a week? I mean, just for sleeping. And maybe eating dinner, I’m not sure yet. I  _do_ have a job so I wake up _really_  early you know? You won’t even know I’m here!”

It’s getting worse. It’s happening. He can see the situation falling down the abyss.

“I get my pay tomorrow so I’ll pay you rent in advance!”

Now,  _that_  he was interested in. He just got fired, after all. He needed all the money he could get for now while he’s searching for a new job (preferably with a better boss). “Why should I trust you,” he asked.

“You know Sou-chan! And Sou-chan knows me. You can trust me!” Nagisa grinned as if that made perfect sense.

“Sousuke knows you because he  _arrested_ you for disorderly conduct. That’s not trustworthy at all.”

Nagisa huffed, shaking his head. “That’s true, but! Sou-chan likes me. You saw that! He even gave me a Christmas gift last year. And he’s a great judge of character!”

That was…  _true_. Sousuke had good instincts, which was one reason why he was such a good cop.

“Please?” There goes the puppy eyes again. “I’ll pay you properly and I won’t do anything you don’t like!”

 _Damn it_. He sighed. “I have an empty room you can use.” Well, at least his ex-boyfriend’s room wouldn’t be useless now. Hopefully, he and Nagisa wouldn’t have to interact much anyway.

**\- - -**

“Rin-chan, you can’t just buy all those without buying  _this_ ,” Nagisa brandished the chocolate syrup up. “What’s the  _point_?”

“It’s my house, my rules.”

Okay. The ‘not-interact-much’ was apparently impossible.

The next day, Nagisa was scrambling around the house and asking to borrow clothes because they somehow forgot that Nagisa didn’t have his clothes here yet. So Rin let him borrow his clothes.

And  _then_  Nagisa was panicking because he was going to be late and his boss was going to be angry at him and probably  _fire him what should I do, Rin-chan?_

So Rin took out his motorcycle plus the extra helmet his ex used, and let Nagisa cling to him as they rode at full speed to Nagisa’s company.

The day after that, Nagisa needed help to bring his luggages from the entrance of the apartment complex to their door. He brought a whole  _box_ of stuffed toys. Another box filled with manga. And  _two_ boxes of travel magazines.

( _”Do you really need this?”_

_“Rin-chan, I work at a travel company. I need to know all of that! And the pictures are pretty!”_

_“You couldn’t have left all these stuffed toys at home?”_

_“Then they’d get lonely! Do you want them to get lonely, Rin-chan? Look at them. Do you?”_

_“Fine, whatever. Just- Keep all of that in your room.)_

 

Three days after, Nagisa belatedly got sick and had to stay at home. Rin, being the decent human being that he is, nursed him as much as he could.

( _”Rin-chan, I’m dying.”_

_“You’re not. Just drink your medicine.”  
_

_“But it doesn’t taste good and I don’t want it!”  
_

_“You’re not a child, Nagisa. Drink it.”_

_“You can’t force me, Rin-chan. I have rights. Sou-chan read them to me.”  
_

_“You’re delirious. Drink this now.”_ )

 

And now they were at the supermarket, buying their shared grocery. Because Nagisa  _lied_. He didn’t just eat dinner, which he said he wouldn’t, but he also atebreakfast in Rin’s apartment. He ate  _a lot_.

“I thought you were just going to stay one week,” Rin said, even as he put the chocolate syrup bottle inside the cart. He didn’t really want to argue anymore. Nagisa’s eyes were still extremely powerful even after staying together a week.

“Hmmm.” Nagisa hummed and stared down at the contents of the cart. “We should have sukiyaki. It’s cold and it would be  _awesome_.”

“Hey, listen-!”

Nagisa ran off to the meat section. Rin sighed. They’d talk about it next time.

**\- - -**

Rin’s asshole boss, probably in fear of Rin talking about him to anyone else, spread rumors about him (the usual stuff, about his sexuality and him studying in Australia and being ‘too liberal’ and more of that shit) which made finding a job harder than he expected. A week went by without any of the companies calling him.

The solution came in the form of a phone call from Haruka. He was Rin’s best friend and rival in college. They both loved the arts, but while Rin was more into architecture and practical applications, Haruka was into paintings and flowers. They mostly always just argued about everything, until they ended up working together in lots of projects and understanding each other’s view of life. They still argue about it, but now it was with the utmost respect for each other’s work.

“You should just come work with us,” Haruka said as soon as Rin answered the phone. “That’s what Makoto told me to say to you.” Makoto was Haruka’s boss in the flower shop he was working in, and also a good friend to them both. Haruka started working at his place as soon as they were out of college, and Rin always called on them for when he needed flowers in the social events he designed.

“I don’t know the first thing about flowers,” Rin said grumpily. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

There was silence, and then a “You won’t be a bother,” from farther away.

“Just let me talk to Makoto,” Rin sighed, shaking his head. He wasn’t even sure why Makoto even tried using Haruka to call. Haruka  _hated_ the phone.

A few seconds passed filled with whispering and rustling, and then, Makoto was on the line. “Rin,” he said, in that gentle florist voice he had. “It’s going to be beneficial to us both, think about it.” He paused for a second, letting Rin digest those words. “You’re going to get us business through your connections, and we’re going to introduce you to more event planners that could help you make your own firm.”

Rin let out a whistle, taken aback by the proposition. “You thought of all that?” He was smiling now, impressed.

“I was surprised you didn’t think about it first,” he said, laughing. “So? Are you going to consider it?”

“Yeah, I’ll call you back.”

**\- - -**

“I think I got a job,” Rin said, while they were cooking meet in the pot in between them; s _ukiyaki_ , because of course, Nagisa won that argument pretty easily. “I’ll work at my friend’s flower shop while trying to save money for my own business.”

Nagisa froze, chopsticks in midair. “Are you going to kick me out now?,” he asked, frowning.

“Huh?” Rin grabbed the meat before it could overcook, placing one on Nagisa’s bowl before his. He’s always concerned Nagisa might be eating too much sugar and not much meat. He was so  _small_. He needed it more than Rin did.

“You have a job now so you don’t need my rent,” Nagisa said, automatically taking what Rin gave him and munching on it. He was quieter now though, less unnecessary movements and more cautious glances at Rin’s face.

 _Oh_. “Do you have anywhere to move to?” Rin schooled his expression to blankness, not wanting to show anything he was feeling. On the first place, he didn’t know what he  _felt_  about the idea of Nagisa moving out. He’s been here for almost two weeks now. It was surprisingly nice to have someone greet him  _good morning_ and  _welcome home_  everyday. (His ex was a heavy sleeper, and now that Rin thought about it, he was also not the type to greet someone home. When they were together, Rin thought it was because, just like him, the guy stayed overseas for a while. He wasn’t so sure now.)

“I-” Nagisa’s frown deepened. “I… don’t?” His eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought. “My mom won’t let me home until I find myself a wife, probably. So I won’t go home. Ever.”

“Then you can stay here,” Rin said, sighing. He refused to acknowledge the relief he felt. “But clean up, won’t you?,” he said, to change the mood. “Your creepy stuffed toy is at the couch again.”

“Mizushimashima-kun isn’t  _creepy_ ,” Nagisa shot back, speaking normally now. “He is a famous mascot character who sells lots and lots of money. He’s richer than both of us, you know?”

Rin laughed. “Maybe he should give me some of his money, then.”

“Well, he won’t give you some now, with that attitude.” Nagisa grinned at him, stealing meat from his plate instead of the pot, and laughing when Rin tried to steal it back, starting a ridiculous game of chopsticks sword fight.

**\- - -**

“So,” Sousuke refilled his sake cup, eyeing him with an insightful look. “I haven’t seen Nagisa doing anything ridiculous lately. No arrests for a month now.”

“Maybe he matured now,” Rin said, cringing inwardly as he thought of how Nagisa just made a mess of his living room while experimenting with slime and water guns. “You know, he’s 21 already.” He shrugged nonchalantly and drank the alcohol, quickly asking the shopkeeper for another bottle.

Sousuke rolled his eyes and picked a piece of oden from his plate. “I saw him, you know, getting his boxes into your place.”

Rin stopped, calculating how long ago that was. More than a month. He and Nagisa has been cohabiting for more than a month now. “Yeah, okay,” he surrendered, raising both hands up. “I admit. I was conned into letting him stay with me.”

That made Sousuke burst out laughing, slapping a hand at his arm. “Gou would be so amused of this.”

“Don’t you  _dare_ ,” Rin hissed, glaring. “It’s bad enough that Makoto and Haru knows.”

“Oh?” Sousuke raised an eyebrow. “Why do they?”

Rin grimaced, intensifying the glare in case it might scare off Sousuke and make him drop this. It didn’t work, of course, because Sousuke was a badass cop and Rin was a designer who can’t scare anyone, probably. “Nagisa goes by the shop sometimes so he could ride my bike home with me.”

“Oh…” Sousuke was grinning again. “So you made a good citizen out of him, huh? Good job, man.”

“I didn’t!” Rin poked the boiled egg on his plate viciously. “More like, I gave him a space where he can let loose instead of the public road.”

Sousuke laughed, probably understanding Rin’s predicament. “Well, as long as he’s not making my job harder, I’m thankful anyway.” He patted Rin on the back. “You’re doing the town a service, Rin,” he said teasingly.

“Oh, shut up.”

**\- - -**

It was a quiet afternoon at the flower shop when Makoto sat beside Rin on the counter and asked about his ex boyfriend and ex job for the first time. He was an exceptionally kind person, so maybe he was giving Rin time to get used to this place before he started asking questions.

It was actually pretty easy to just give all the information, about the breakup text and the attempted kiss and his asshole boss trying to ruin his life. At first, he thought it was because it’s been a month anyway and he’s gotten over it easily.

But then he remembered that day, that coldest day in his life, and all he could recall was a pair of bright eyes staring at him and warm laughter echoing around.

He was the type to brood and second-guess his own worth, worry about his life and his ability to love people. If Nagisa didn’t force himself into his life, he most likely would have done that.

Instead, what he did was  _move forward_  and feel important and worry about Nagisa’s health. There was no time to agonize over his misfortune, because Nagisa moved faster than worries. He sped past them, like the blur of blonde hair he saw that night.

“It’s a good thing Nagisa-kun’s such a positive person, right?,” Makoto said, smiling as if he just read Rin’s mind.

“Yeah,” he agreed, smiling down at the ground. “It’s a good thing.”

**\- - -**

On the coldest day of his life, Rin met Nagisa.

And now, stepping inside his not-so-tidy house, and being greeted by a loud “Welcome home!” and a bright smile, he thought that it might also have been the day he discovered what real warmth meant. 

**\- - -**

_“What does it become, then, the snow?”_

_“When snow melts, it becomes spring.”_


End file.
